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House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, right, watches President Barack Obama speak, as golfer Zach Johnson watches at left, during a ceremony honoring the 2013 Presidents Cup U.S. team during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, June 24, 2014 in Washington. The U.S. team beat an international squad during the Presidents Cup matches in October 2013. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Boehner Confirms Lawsuit Against Obama for Executive Actions

By Frank Thorp V

House Speaker John Boehner will file a lawsuit against the Obama administration for its use of executive actions to change laws, he formally announced Wednesday.

"I believe the President is not faithfully executing the laws of our country, and on behalf of the institution and our constitution standing up and fighting for this is in the best long term interest of the Congress," he said.

Boehner would not say which executive action the lawsuit would target specifically.

The specifics and mechanics of the suit have yet to be worked out, but Boehner could enlist an organization called the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group (BLAG) to carry it out.

Because that body is controlled by the Speaker, the Majority Leader, the Majority Whip, the Minority Leader and the Minority Whip, Republicans could order the lawsuit to go ahead even if Democrats objected.

The speaker insisted Wednesday that the lawsuit does not amount to an effort to impeach the president.

"This is not about impeachment, this is about his faithfully executing the laws of our country," Boehner said.

White House press secretary Josh Earnest said he is confident the president has operated well within the confines of the law and that Republicans have brought the suit simply because they disagree with Obama's policies.

The GOP's unwillingness to compromise has forced the president to take more executive actions, Earnest said.

"The fact that they are considering a taxpayer-funded lawsuit against the president of the United States for doing his job, I think, is the kind of step that most Americans wouldn't support," Earnest said.

"This lawsuit is not going to consume the attention of the White House," he added.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., on Wednesday called the lawsuit "subterfuge."

"They're doing nothing here and so they have to give some aura of activity," she said.

-- NBC's Andrew Rafferty and Carrie Dann contributed to this report.

First published June 25 2014, 9:56 AM

Frank Thorp V

Frank Thorp V is a producer and off-air reporter covering Congress for NBC News. He started this role in June 2011. Thorp is responsible for managing coverage of the Senate, and supports Capitol Hill correspondents Kelly O'Donnell and Luke Russert in their reporting on Congress.

Previously, Thorp served as NBC News' long-term presence in Haiti after a devastating earthquake hit that country in 2010. Thorp has also worked at CBS News.

He studied psychology at West Virginia University, and lives in Alexandria, Va. with his wife and chocolate lab.